Julian Schnabel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Julian Schnabel
Schnabel in 2010
Born	(1951-10-26) October 26, 1951 (age 73) New York City, U.S.
Education	University of Houston
Known for	Painting film
Style	"Plate paintings"
Movement	Neo-expressionism
Spouse(s)	Jacqueline Beaurang ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 1992)​ Olatz López Garmendia ​ ​ (m. 1993; div. 2010)​ Louise Kugelberg ​ (m. 2019)​

Julian Schnabel (born October 26, 1951) is a famous American artist. He is known for both his unique paintings and his award-winning films. In the 1980s, he became very well-known for his "plate paintings." These were large artworks that had broken ceramic plates glued onto them.

Since the 1990s, Julian Schnabel has also become an important director of independent films. He directed Before Night Falls, which helped actor Javier Bardem become famous. He also directed The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. This film was nominated for four Academy Awards. For The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Schnabel won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director and the Golden Globe Award for Best Director.

Early Life and Education

Julian Schnabel was born in Brooklyn, New York. His family moved to Brownsville, Texas, in 1965. He studied art at the University of Houston, where he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

After college, he wanted to join a special art program in New York City. He sent his application with slides of his artwork. He famously put these slides between two pieces of bread! He was accepted and studied there from 1973 to 1975.

In 1975, Schnabel met another artist named Joseph Glasco in Galveston, Texas. They became good friends and shared many ideas about art. Schnabel later encouraged Glasco to move his studio to New York.

Exploring Art and Style

Schnabel returned to Houston in 1975 and set up his own art studio. He worked hard to get his first art show. His first solo exhibition was in 1976 at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.

His big breakthrough came in 1979 with a show at the Mary Boone Gallery. All of his paintings sold even before the show officially opened! He also showed his work at the Venice Biennale in 1980. This is a very important art exhibition.

By 1981, he was a well-known artist. He was the youngest artist featured in a famous exhibition called 'A New Spirit in Painting' in London. His "plate paintings" became very famous. These large paintings had real broken ceramic plates attached to them. This made them stand out and caused a lot of discussion in the art world.

Julian Schnabel's art is known for being very large. He uses many different materials in his paintings. These include plaster, wax, photographs, antlers, velvet, and even broken ceramics. He paints on canvas, wood, muslin, and even surfboards! His artworks often mix abstract shapes with recognizable figures. Because his works are so big and have so much texture, they often feel like sculptures.

In 2002, Schnabel designed the cover art for the Red Hot Chili Peppers' album, By the Way. The woman on the cover is his daughter, Stella Schnabel. The band members loved his artwork. They felt he truly understood the feeling of their music.

Schnabel's art has been shown in many places around the world. In 2010, he had a big exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. This show explored how his paintings and films connect. In 2011, a major show of his career was held in Venice, Italy.

Directing Films

Julian Schnabel started his film career in the 1990s. His first film was Basquiat (1996). This movie was a biopic, which means it told the life story of another painter, Jean-Michel Basquiat.

He then directed Before Night Falls (2000). This film was based on a book and won a major award at the Venice Film Festival. In 2007, he directed The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. This film won him the award for best director at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. He also won the Golden Globe for best director and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director.

In 2007, Schnabel also designed the stage for musician Lou Reed's "Berlin" concert tour. He later directed a documentary film about it called Lou Reed's Berlin. In 2010, he directed the film Miral.

In 2017, Schnabel announced he would make a film about the famous painter Vincent van Gogh. The film, At Eternity's Gate, was released in 2018. Schnabel helped write the script for this movie. It starred Willem Dafoe as Van Gogh.

In 2023, Schnabel shared plans to direct another film called In the Hand of Dante. This movie is set to star Oscar Isaac.

Writing and Music

Julian Schnabel wrote a book about his life called CVJ: Nicknames of Maitre D's & Other Excerpts From Life. It was published in 1987.

He also released a music album in 1995 called Every Silver Lining Has a Cloud. He recorded this album in Brooklyn, New York. It featured other musicians like Bill Laswell and Buckethead.

Family Life

Palazzo Chupi

Julian Schnabel has seven children. He has three children with his first wife, Jacqueline Beaurang: Lola, who is a painter and filmmaker; Stella, who is a poet and actress; and Vito, who is an art dealer.

He has twin sons, Cy and Olmo, with his second wife, Olatz López Garmendia.

Schnabel also has a son with Danish model May Andersen.

He lives in New York City with his current wife, Louise Kugelberg. She is a Swedish interior designer and also helped write the film At Eternity's Gate. Schnabel has art studios in New York City and in Montauk, New York.

He lives in a unique building in New York City that used to be a horse stable. He bought it and turned it into his home and added luxury apartments. He named it the Palazzo Chupi. It is easy to spot because it is painted bright pink!

Filmography

Awards

• 2019 Paez Medal of Art, New York City (VAEA).

See also

In Spanish: Julian Schnabel para niños

• Bruno Bischofberger
• List of artists who created paintings and drawings for use in films